About Jacquemine du Preez, b5 SM

The fifth child, Jacquemine, born ca. 1679 apparently at Menin, France, north of Lille, married Abraham Vivier and thus became the maternal ancestor of all the Viviers in South Africa. They lived on the farm “Schoongezicht” at the present-day Daljosafat between Paarl and Wellington. Jacquemine was only about 35 years old when she died in 1715. By that time her husband and his two unmarried brothers were already deceased. She inherited from all three of them. After Jacquemine’s death her children were cared for by her sister, Marie Jeanne, who also had to deal with the disgrace in the family when Jacquemine’s daughter, Elisabeth, in 1717 gave birth to an illegitimate child fathered by Charl du Plessis. Charl was the husband of Cecilia van Marseveen, who happened to be Elisabeth’s cousin. With the kind of Calvinistic “piety” of that time Elisabeth was forced to give the name of the father while she was in labour. (She probably at first refused to say who he was and by doing so hoped to spare her cousin the embarrassment.)

On 31 January 1717 on page 46 of the Drakenstein baptism register it was recorded in thick black ink so as to warn future sinners who might contemplate similar deeds and with the brand of Calvinism of that time: “Elisabeth, daughter of Elisabeth Vivier and Charl du Plessis, who is a married man and on account of this, a child of fornication and adultery” [Original Dutch: " Elisabeth Doghter van Elisabeth Vievier en Charel Duplici die een getrouwt man is en uyt dien hoofde een kint van hoerery en overspel"].

The name of this unfortunate girl who had been so slandered by this semi-literate church scribe and who apparently was brought up by the Du Plessis family, ended up on her mother’s death notice as “du Plaisir” — from pleasure — instead of Du Plessis. (Would it be possible that someone’s vindictiveness extended to punishing Elisabeth Vivier even in death?). This girl, born illegitimately on 24 November 1716, was only 13 years old when her mother died on 22 August 1730.